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What wickedness we do in utero!

Burning with an intensity that speaks volumes, the opening ten or so minutes of Let Her Out might just very well be one of my favorite cinematic experiences this season. Writer/Director Cody Calahan and Director of Photography Jeff Maher create, with images alone, a hypnotizing portrait of a prostitute who comes to a fateful end one night. And that is only the beginning chapter in this Canadian must-see horror film.

There’s a certain blue-hued seediness to the motel shoot as she welcomes John after John to her room and is finally left with something she never really wanted…or asked for. And in this way, through a beautifully arranged collection of hallucinogenic shots, we come to feel great sympathy for this woman and for our main protagonist, Helen (Alanna LaVierge). It is in how these two women are connected; however, in which the film truly takes off.

You may not be prepared for the dark poetry of Let Her Out. I know that I was taken aback by just how inspiring its own particular brand of madness is. This is no run of the mill horror entry. Let Her Out is a character study of hidden rage as Hell itself spits out one of its own unborn fiery fiends.

After an unfortunate car accident, Helen, a bike courier, begins to suffer from intense headaches and strange blackout periods. She can feel herself literally slip away from all normal behaviors. Even her BFF Molly (Nina Kiri) is aware of the change. She’s not that terribly worried, though. Leave that to the forever casting shade character of Ed (Adam Christie), Molly’s boyfriend, who seems to be developing a thing for Helen, too.

An MRI reveals the verdict. Helen has a tumor in her brain. It is benign, but – as Helen slips further and further into the void with more blackouts and more unconscious phases – she begins to understand the unmistakably dark truth behind the tumor: it is her unborn twin and she, finally awoken due to the head trauma, wants to come out and play.

With brilliant reds and steely blues guiding the shoot, Let Her Out is easily a neon-splashed masterpiece of mood and terror. It is in capable hands and never fully lets loose until the final act when it all goes careening toward full-stop horror. We are kept in a growing state of suspense as Helen slips in and out of consciousness, only to wake up miles from where she last remembers being and with somebody else’s blood on her hands.

Stephen King’s The Dark Half gets delivered fresh and new with the psychological terror of Calahan’s Let Her Out. The movie is eerie and captivating as it drags its audience to Hell and back, all thanks to some engaged performances and a crackling narrative that is built steadily upon a firm foundation of atmosphere and mood-enhancing candlelight.

Let Her Out, currently playing in select cities across the United States, is a keeper.

MPAA Rating: Unrated.Runtime: 89 minsDirector: Cody CalahanWriter: Adam SeyboldCast: Alanna LeVierge, Nina Kiri, Adam ChristieGenre: HorrorTagline: Let Her Out.Memorable Movie Quote: "Miss, you've been in an accident."Theatrical Distributor: TriCoast WorldwideOfficial Site:http://www.breakthroughentertainment.com/project/let-her-out/Release Date: October 20, 2017DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: No details available.Synopsis: Let Her Out follows Helen, a bike courier who suffers a traumatic accident. As she recovers, she begins to experience strange episodic-black outs, hallucinations, and night terrors-that lead her to discover that she has a tumour, a benign growth that is the remnants of a “vanishing twin” absorbed in utero.

Over time, the tumour manifests itself as the dark and demented version of a stranger. As Helen’s emotional and psychological state begins to deteriorate further and further, she begins to act out in psychotic episodes that are influenced by her evil twin – making her a danger to herself and her best friend, Molly.

It’s only a matter of time before the evil side of Helen will take over completely.